Arthur's Secret
by His Mrs. Barker
Summary: After Inception is over, Arthur escorts Ariadne home, but they encounter trouble on the way. When Arthur is hurt and not expected to live, Ariadne goes under to speak with him in his dreams...but finds herself in his uncontrollable memories. Had Arthur been in love? Why had he not spoken of it? What did the ring on his right hand mean? Rated M for brief language. Bit OOC probably.


Hello!

Yes, I am planning on returning to my Sweeney Todd story, but this idea popped into my head and I knew I needed to get it down while I had a spare moment before classes start.

(You'll see a familiar name here if you've read "Unexpected Familiarity," and it's not a lack of creativity. I just like the name.)

* * *

_It had all happened so quickly._

Saito had been perfect in helping everyone back to their respective places – everyone who had made it out of inception _alive_, that is – and Arthur had escorted Ariadne home to Paris. Always the gentleman, he had ensured her safety back to her apartment. As the two of them were walking down the streets in the direction of her home, Ariadne expressed her concern about him not having a home to return to. Arthur had mentioned that he would probably do jobs here and there from now on, but now no longer on the run, he would stick to one place; and so far he had not given any hint as to where that one place would be.

"Oh, I have a home," he said quietly, a ghost of a smile on his face as he glanced from her and kept his steady gaze forward. One hand was in his pocket, the other clutching the familiar silver briefcase, and though nothing about his five words seemed to be shocking to him, Ariadne quickly looked up at him with surprise.

"Home? I thought you weren't supposed to keep any place permanent like that," she said as bewilderment was evident on her features.

Arthur shrugged easily, still looking ahead as his small, usual smile came back to his face. "Well, just don't tell Cobb, and I think it will be alright."

This quieted her, for they both were very aware that they would probably never see or hear from Cobb again. Arthur had meant it as a joke, but it distracted her and kept her so deep in thinking of Mal and Cobb that she hadn't realized they missed the block they should have turned down fifteen minutes ago. Arthur didn't know where he was going, only trusted Ariadne to lead the way, so he only smiled when she quickly gave an apology and told him they needed to turn around to get where they needed to. Trying to make up for lost time, she explained that this was a shortcut she took from home to the college as she led him into a dirty alleyway between two old apartment buildings.

They were about halfway through it when Arthur spotted a middle-aged man clothed in dirty clothes whose appearance just screamed criminal, and he was sitting against a dumpster, watching the two young people unknowingly walking closer and closer. Ariadne was oblivious, now too caught up in wondering where Arthur might have a home, and even further wondering what kind of home Arthur lived in.

"What country do you live in?" she asked suddenly, looking up at him.

Arthur's face was concentrated on the man, trying to assess him to see if he would be a real threat while also trying not to alarm the girl unless need be. "Uh…here. My home is in Paris."

Her eyebrows rose considerably, expecting _Paris _to be the last place on earth he might have a home. But the idea pleased her and sent a smile to her face, hoping she might be able to see more of The Point Man than she had previously expected. Even though he had been sending her mixed signals since his quick kiss on the second level of inception, she liked him a lot and had been secretly hoping that when he dropped her off at her apartment, that wouldn't be the last of him. But all thoughts were lost when Arthur's face changed suddenly, expressionless, and he spoke rapidly under his breath to her without looking at her.

"Ariadne," he rasped. "Turn around and walk away as fast as you can."

"What?" she whispered, and looked back in front of her just in time to see the suspicious homeless man standing from his spot and pulling something out of his jacket. She couldn't think fast enough, she couldn't move, all she felt was Arthur come to a sudden stop and her eyes widen as the man neared and a gun was pulled on them.

"Give me your money!" the man shouted in a gruff tone. Ariadne's heart threatened to beat out of her chest, but looked to Arthur to see his face calm, poised, as if he was engaging in a business deal, something he was very good at. "Now!" the man shouted, hand trembling as he held the gun at him.

"Alright, alright," Arthur said slowly, reaching inside of his suit. Ariadne knew very well he kept gun holstered there, and apparently the man was no idiot, because he quickly caught on. Before Arthur had a chance to react, the man panicked and pulled the trigger on the gun, running off down the alley.

"ARTHUR!" Ariadne screamed as Arthur fell to the ground, blood beginning to pool on top of his chest.

_It had all happened so quickly._

And she couldn't help but feel it was her fault. Her fault that he was now in a hospital bed, her fault that he was on oxygen and had surgery the day before, her fault that the doctors said he might not live through the night. All she had done was walk him down the wrong alley, and now she felt as if she had his blood on her hands. And previously, just the day before in the alley, she had as she had pressed her hands to his chest in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

Ariadne sat awake at his bedside all night, scared to death and distraught at the fact she most likely would lose someone she had grown very close to in the past several months. They had been good friends, almost a little closer than that as she liked to think, but every time they ventured a little closer, Arthur would shut off and try to pretend like that never happened, like it bothered him immensely that he had even thought of becoming involved. At first she had taken this personally, but after Eames had "accidentally" witnessed a little incident of this sort, Eames had taken her aside and told her not to worry – that Arthur was not a man that could love. This perplexed her, and when she asked why, Eames had shaken his head and given her a knowing look, which meant she was not to ask any further questions. She had grown used to this look around him.

But she did feel as if she might love him, that she could someday if he were to start to fancy her too, and it frightened her to think that she was more likely than not in the process of losing a friend and a possible more-than-friend. Ariadne did not feel it was wrong to take a hold of his hand, which was what she did as she sat at his bedside, hoping childishly that he might feel the pulse in her fingertips and it would encourage his heart to keep beating.

Suddenly, after tearfully staring at his pained, unconscious face for the past 38 hours, not knowing if he would live through the night, an idea came to her mind. An idea that when it came, there was no way of stopping it; and before she had a chance to double think, she was outside the room telling the nurse she wanted an hour alone of prayer with him (something she wasn't sure if she would believe, but she did), and she was closing all the curtains and locking the door to the hospital room, now on a mission.

The silver case that held the compound was in a nearby cabinet underneath her few things, and she immediately pulled it out, opened it, and set up an IV in Arthur's arm. This might be her last chance with him, and she'd be damned if she let him go without trying to even speak to him first. Perhaps she could say her goodbyes, or perhaps she could figure out just exactly why he looked so pained, because for some reason she felt it wasn't because of the hole in his chest.

In a matter of seconds, he was unknowingly under, and after making sure they would be in his dream and everything was set, Ariadne put the IV in and leaned back in the chair, giving them an hour in the real world = ten hours in the dream. She would take everything she could get.

* * *

In a library.

That was the first thing she realized as she found herself inside the dream. She was in a library, one that she recognized, one she had remembered visiting once or twice here in Paris when the library on campus didn't have what she needed.

_Arthur did say he had a home in Paris…_

The fact that Arthur might be in a library was odd to her, for honestly that was the last place she had expected him to be, but she looked around wildly, not caring who saw her. After a few minutes of hurried walking and glancing and unsteady breaths, she saw the familiar back of a familiar person, and couldn't help but cry out his name as she ran towards him.

However, no one even turned to face her, despite the fact that she yelled in a quiet place. Arthur didn't turn around, much less flinch. As she reached him, she let out a triumphant laugh as she reached forward to put her hand on his arm. But to her surprise, her arm went right through him. Gasping in horror, she recoiled her arm and ran around to the front of him, hoping that he could explain this to her or do so much as look at her. But as she stood in front of him, screaming his name, Arthur kept his eyes forward and focused. When she tried to beat on his chest, screaming for him to look at her, she found her hands to go through his chest again, and she soon realized that it was not possible for him to hear or see or feel her.

Perhaps it was because he was already unconscious. Perhaps the compound didn't work the same way.

It only took her a moment to realize that she had no control, and all she could do was sit back and watch. For ten hours.

Fear gripped her heart, scared but ultimately relieved at the prospect of seeing him. Though in seeing him, she realized he looked…younger. Perhaps five to six years younger, appearing as if he had perhaps been out of college for at least a year. His face was brighter, the small lines in his face that occurred when he was thinking – which was exactly what he was doing now – were not there.

Ariadne followed his line of sight, face softening when she saw his eyes fell on a young girl, perhaps his age, scanning the bookshelves intently, clearly looking for something specific. She was a very pretty girl, from what Ariadne could see – light blonde hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, slightly curly wisps of hair framing her face, a pretty pale complexion, tiny frame, and large, soft brown eyes that Ariadne had to admit were very pretty. Something about her was entrancing, and it didn't take any time at all for her to see _why _Arthur was watching her.

But this girl struck Ariadne as someone who was not aware of her beauty, for she held the most innocent of auras and an approachable face – not vain at all in appearance. Ariadne felt a small pang of jealousy as she looked back at Arthur's face, a small smile on his face as he watched the girl innocently and somehow adorably search for her goal. That was when she also noticed he was wearing a nametag.

_He works at the library?! _She thought, astonished. What kind of dream was this?

_It's a memory,_ her mind screamed back at her.

Maybe that made sense. Maybe that's why she couldn't be heard or seen, in addition to him being unconscious and lying in a hospital bed. Deciding that was her only explanation, she watched intently as his handsome features sought the girl's beautiful ones. When Arthur had enough of watching from afar, he stepped through Ariadne towards the girl in the modest, cap sleeved, knee-length, vintage looking red dress. Ariadne stepped closer, right behind them because now she knew she was a ghost in his mind, and she watched curiously as this memory began to unfold, wondering why on earth this was so important to him.

"Hello," he said with a charming smile.

"Hello!" the girl responded back cheerfully, turning and giving him a very pretty, effortless smile without a thought. Clearly she was unaware he had watched her for several moments.

"Is there anything I can help you find?" he asked, eyes smiling as well as he had the attention of the beautiful brown eyes.

She glanced at his nametag to see that he did in fact work here, and flashed him another smile with lips that Ariadne was jealous of. In fact, she was suddenly very jealous of this girl who was probably only an inch taller than she, though much prettier, especially because she had so easily caught Arthur's attention. "If you wouldn't mind too terribly, I'm searching for Jane Austen's literature," she said in a voice that was just as lovely and soft as the rest of her.

"Which book?" Arthur asked, interested, and Ariadne was just as surprised as the girl that the probably twenty four year old man knew who Jane Austen was and that she had written more than one book.

"Oh, well, preferably _Pride and Prejudice_; but _Sense and Sensibility _would suit me just as well," she responded.

Arthur turned to scan the higher shelves, and Ariadne watched as Arthur had captivated the pretty girl's attention as well. Her alluring eyes watched him as he stepped forward on his toes, reached up, and pulled down the two books she had just mentioned from a high shelf. He turned to her with a surer smile, and the girl lit up in delight.

Ariadne watched as she thanked him several times, saying that she had sworn she had checked every inch of these shelves countless times, and had unknowingly missed them each time. Arthur let out a little laugh and assured her it was alright, something Ariadne didn't doubt, because if she had found the books herself then he would not have had such a good reason to come up to her. He clearly had no intentions of leaving right away.

"You're a fan of good literature, I see," he commented as he saw her put the two books into the growing pile of books in her arms. Along with two of Jane Austen's works, she had two of Charles Dickens', then another by an author Ariadne vaguely remembered but wasn't as sure of as the other two.

"They're kind of silent mentors," she said with a shy smile. Arthur curiously raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, and she let out a small giggle that Ariadne was sure strung a different chord with Arthur. "I'm an authoress," she explained. "Or at least I'm trying to be," she continued shyly, glancing down before meeting his warm smile again. "They're some of the greatest, and I try to read their work often so they might inspire me to write better."

"What do you write about?" he asked. Ariadne was so interested in why this was a good memory for him. Was she someone he dated?

"Romance," she answered, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. "Usually most I talk to aren't very interested about it."

Arthur's next words surprised Ariadne. "I would love to hear about it," he said earnestly, "if you have the time." The girl looked very pleasantly surprised by this, coming from an approachable, handsome, and seemingly kind man. How many girls find someone like that, and in a library no less? When the girl was too surprised and didn't speak for a beat too long, Arthur held out his hand for a proper introduction. "I'm Arthur."

"Lucy," she said with another bright smile, shaking his hand.

"Well, Lucy, I would be delighted to take you out for coffee once my work day is over in approximately – " he paused to look at his watch – "fifteen minutes."

"I would be delighted as well."

Arthur smiled.

The library memory faded quickly, and Ariadne soon found herself in another, walking beside Arthur and Lucy underneath the Eiffel Tower. Lucy was on his arm, smiling, and Arthur was all smiles as well, looking down at her unabashedly.

Ariadne immediately saw that some time had passed between their first meeting.

And as if she needed more assurance, Arthur stopped directly below the Eiffel tower and faced Lucy, taking her hands in his with that familiar charming smile.

"You know…" he began with a sparkle in his eyes, Ariadne watching her eyes do the same. She didn't think she saw anything less than _love _in the both of them. "I think it's funny that I have yet to kiss my girlfriend."

_Girlfriend_, Ariadne thought. Certainly much time had passed since the first memory. Honestly, Ariadne had always thought of Arthur to have had several girlfriends in the past since he was certainly a type many girls would like. But there was something different about him in these two memories. Something she couldn't exactly put her finger on. He looked…fresher. Happier. Younger. Like perhaps he didn't have knowledge of the cruelties of the world.

"Call us old fashioned," Lucy giggled shyly. Ariadne watched as Lucy stepped a little closer to him, timidly at that, and Arthur put his hands gentlemanly at her waist.

"Is that alright?" he asked, humor edging into his voice. Lucy nodded ever so slightly, and before Ariadne could blink, Arthur leaned down and gave her a very chaste, very pure kiss on the lips. The kiss seemed to fit the woman, though being given by Arthur, for she seemed so different than others. So…untainted.

Ariadne couldn't keep herself from watching. It reminded her of going into Cobb's recreated memories, but this was so different. It didn't feel wrong. She didn't feel scared. And knowing that no one was in control or had purposefully created them, and also that she could not be seen or heard enthralled her. Drew her in.

As they pulled away from the kiss, Lucy's head clearly spinning (something Ariadne wasn't surprised about), Arthur pulled two little books out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Lucy. Ariadne stepped closer to look, listening to Lucy gasp in delight as she looked at the books.

"These are for you," Arthur explained. "I thought you needed your own copies."

_Pride and Prejudice _and _Sense and Sensibilities _lay in Lucy's hands, and she quickly leaned up and kissed him softly on the cheek, thanking him as she held them to her chest and looked up at him adoringly.

It wasn't hard to tell they were in love. Ariadne wanted to learn all about Arthur and this Lucy. Why had he never mentioned her before? She was clearly important. Ariadne was not fazed, however. She had hours left to learn.

Several other memories passed, Ariadne sitting back and watching. One of them on a picnic, one of them strolling together seeing the beautiful sights Paris had to offer, and several others, many including chaste kisses exchanged between them. Ariadne was thankful she hadn't had to view anything more than that, but considering whatever memories Arthur was remembering were important, she would have guessed he might have included one or two of them making love. But the longer she watched them interact, and the more she read into their innocent kisses, she concluded they had not, and they were two innocent souls lost in fairytale love. This version of Arthur was new to her, for Arthur had always given her the impression of someone who knew everything about every danger of the world. This Arthur didn't.

Then another memory came before her, which one this was, Ariadne couldn't keep count.

Arthur was standing underneath the Eiffel Tower again, dressed in a three piece suit like she saw him wear in present day, though this was the first time she had seen him wear one in these memories. Looking exceptionally handsome, though incredibly nervous, he paced back and forth underneath a lit up Eiffel Tower late at night. He checked his watch several times, clearly struggling not to run a hand through his slicked back hair – also something that was new to this memory.

Finally, Lucy appeared in a long white coat, a color that resembled her purity quite well, and all of the nervousness melted from his face. Ariadne didn't think she had ever seen him happier, though she was soon proved wrong. Arthur greeted Lucy with a long kiss, Lucy melting in his arms and giggling as the kiss went on and on.

"You'll make me swoon, Arthur!" she playfully chastised as she stepped back for air. Arthur didn't answer her right away, but he took her hands in his again, looking at her sweetly before slowly getting down to one knee in front of her.

Ariadne's breath caught.

So did Lucy's.

Arthur gave her a heartfelt speech about how much he loved her and how he couldn't live without her, and that nothing would make him happier than to spend the rest of his life with her. Tears came to Lucy's eyes as an astonished smile graced her lips, and as he asked her those four famous words, Lucy half-sobbed, half-laughed as she responded with an enthusiastic "Yes!" A beautiful diamond ring was slipped onto her finger, and Arthur soon took her in his arms again and kissed her passionately.

The memory began to fade, and so did Ariadne's stream of logical thoughts. _He's married? But why have I never seen a ring? Why have I never heard about his wife? From anyone?! _Then she remembered how, in fact, Arthur did wear a ring. A silver man's ring, on his right hand, fourth finger. Nothing much, and Ariadne had not ever thought much of it, though she had caught him looking at it from time to time, especially in dire situations.

But why was it on his right hand? Where was Lucy?

A new memory came into view – Arthur and Lucy walking up to a historic apartment building in Paris, Ariadne listening to Lucy exclaim how absolutely beautiful it was and how thankful she was that Arthur wanted to look at it with her as a potential apartment. The engagement ring was the only thing on her slender fingers, so they were not married yet.

Or would they ever be married? Perhaps Ariadne had gotten ahead of herself. Perhaps his ring meant something else, and perhaps they broke it off during their engagement. Still, Ariadne watched and followed them into a third floor apartment, unable to keep from smiling as Lucy gasped and fawned over the lovely, quaint apartment. Arthur was clearly taking enjoyment in her happiness as well, for he inspected the place for any flaws. When he was satisfied and she was overjoyed, he told her they could have it as their home.

Kisses were shared, and another memory came into view. Both of them, in the middle of the night, listening to music and sharing laughs over small glasses of wine as they arranged furniture and belongings in their new apartment. Lucy's hair was down, and Ariadne followed them into the bedroom, where Lucy, exhausted, fell back onto the bed and sighed, spreading her arms out.

"I'm exhausted, darling," she said with a tired sigh.

Arthur evidently loved the affectionate name, for he bore a large smile as he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Then you rest," he said quietly as he ran his fingers through her long locks. "And I'll finish setting up the living room."

"You must be tired too," she yawned.

"I have to at least set up the couch for me to sleep on."

Lucy's eyes opened at this, appearing innocently confused as she gazed up at him. "The couch?" she asked. He nodded.

"I thought you would sleep in here," she said, a little disappointed.

A heated blush came to Arthur's face faster than he could stop it, and Lucy blushed and giggled too, reading his thoughts. "We're only engaged, darling, I didn't mean for us to make love – "

"I know what you meant," he said with a nervous chuckled. "We're waiting, and that's great. I thought you might not like to share a bed until then."

Ariadne was impressed by Arthur's sensitivity to the girl, who surely wanted to stay virginal until their wedding night.

"I don't mind," she said with a little shrug, smiling up at him. "I trust you not to ravish me," she said with sparkling eyes, a playful smile sneaking up on her lips. Arthur laughed at this and laid down beside her, sighing contentedly as Lucy snuggled up against him.

Ariadne was fascinated by this couple's chemistry, and watched as another memory came into view. They were in the same bedroom, though it was finished, and Lucy was wearing a nightgown and her engagement ring as she sat in the window seat, brushing out her hair. Arthur was sitting at the foot of the bed, taking off his shoes, when Lucy sighed happily.

"Arthur," she said dreamily.

Arthur immediately looked up to her, and she turned to look at him with a smile that warmed his heart.

"Did I ever tell you I love your name?"

He blushed a little and looked back to his shoes, not so easily untying them now. "I don't really. I always am reminded of that cartoon aardvark with glasses on PBS that kids used to watch," he joked.

Lucy let out a bubbly, infectious laugh at this, Arthur laughing a little as well, purely happy at the sound of hers, and she crossed the room and sat beside him, kissing his cheek and whispering that she loved it, regardless.

Ariadne saw very clearly that Arthur loved his fiancée, and she began to wonder if perhaps they were still engaged at this very moment and Arthur had been unable to marry her yet because of this job. But that theory soon disappeared as she saw them sitting on the couch together in another memory, looking at each other lovingly after Arthur had kissed her. Ariadne stood still in the room, some of her jealousy gone at seeing him so happy, and she watched as he raised his hand to her hair to stroke it affectionately.

However, this action soon melted from romantic to terrifying, for as he moved his hand down tenderly, a lock of Lucy's golden hair came into his hand. Arthur's eyes widened, immediately worried, and Ariadne could not keep her own heart from racing. Lucy let out a terrified gasp, and even more terrified was Arthur's face when she worriedly whispered: "That's been happening for the past three days! Arthur, I thought it would go away, but it isn't!"

Arthur had tears in his eyes as he looked at her.

Ariadne, heart racing and desperate to learn what happened next, found the memory changing into them at a doctor's office, Lucy crying into Arthur's chest as he held on tightly to her, crushing her to him. Tears were on his own face – something Ariadne had never seen and couldn't explain until she saw the doctor and heard two terrible words. Then two more.

Terminal Cancer.

Three months.

The next memories were so terribly sad that Ariadne could hardly stand them. Lucy was in a hospital bed, crying mostly, and Arthur was sitting beside her or sometimes with her in the bed, either clutching her hand or Arthur's arms wrapped so tightly around her that Ariadne fleetingly wondered if Lucy could breathe. Lucy didn't care.

"I'm scared," she whispered tearfully into Arthur's shirt in one of the memories where she was in the hospital bed.

"Everything's going to be alright," he said in an unsteady voice, tears coating his face as well. This was not the truth, Ariadne could see. Lucy's hair was pulled back and noticeably thinning, an IV was in one arm, she had lost weight, and the fear of the future lingered heavily in the room.

"I don't want to die," she cried into his chest. Arthur's only response was to hold her tighter. He looked exhausted. "I want to marry you," she said, shaking now. "I want to marry you and live with you in our little apartment. I don't want to die. I love you, Arthur."

"I love you."

The next scene was of the doctor and Arthur in a hallway. Arthur was yelling at him, yelling at him to save Lucy, yelling at him for telling him that she had a month to live but could not do anything about it. He was yelling money was no object, do whatever they could, _just save her. _But the doctor sadly replied that he could do nothing, and no one else could either. It was rare, he had said, along with many other things. But all they could do now was make her as comfortable as possible. And wait.

Arthur swore and punched the wall, presumably to keep himself from hitting the doctor. Tears were in his eyes again, and he looked _scared. _Arthur never looked scared. Ariadne wanted to reach out and comfort him, but when she tried, she remembered she was only a ghost.

This memory faded, and the next one could not have been more painful to watch.

Ariadne watched as Arthur straightened himself in a mirror outside of the hospital room. The calendar said it was two weeks before Lucy's expected death, and Arthur was looking calmer than usual. He had his hair slicked back again, a dashing three piece suit on, and held a large box wrapped in light blue paper under his arm. He took a deep breath, felt for something in his breast pocket, and walked into the room, Ariadne following.

Lucy lay back in the bed, looking thinner and paler, though still beautiful. A large vase of fresh red roses was at her bedside – something she had learned were Lucy's favorite, and that they had also been replaced twice a week every week with fresh flowers since she had been admitted. Lucy was admiring these flowers when the door opened, and she quickly looked over and smiled a bright smile at her fiancé, one that illuminated her face and would have made her appear perfectly well if she did not have a soft cap on her head to hide the fact she was half-bald, and if she was not wearing a hospital gown. Ariadne noticed how she still wore her engagement ring, though now it was a bit too big for her fingers with the sudden weight loss, though she wore it with pride and still told Arthur every day how much she loved him. He always responded by saying he loved her more.

Today, Arthur walked in with a new confidence, setting the box down beside the flowers and sitting in his usual chair. He immediately took her hand gently in his, and gave her a winning smile. Lucy could not help but smile back.

"Hello, darling," she said sweetly, earning a kiss on the mouth from Arthur. Lucy thrived off of this kiss, tilting her head slightly and resting her hand on his shoulder, breathless as he pulled away. Her eyes were teary as she smiled at him, but his were not. Today he held strength, strength he knew he needed to hold for the next two weeks. For her.

"Hello, Lucy," he said sweetly.

Lucy's eyes roamed over him, a healthy blush coming to her cheeks as she took in her handsome fiancé. "You're rather dressed up today," she giggled, not sounding so weak for the moment. "And I should add that you're quite stunning, especially in that suit. Though, you _are _always stunning. May I ask why you are so fancy this lovely afternoon?"

That was something Ariadne admired. Lucy was always trying to remain positive, except when her tears overwhelmed her and she couldn't help it. Ariadne couldn't blame her. She knew herself well enough to know that she would be much worse in this situation.

"I am dressed up," he took a steady breath, still smiling as his eyes shone for the first time in a while. "Because today is a very special day."

Lucy's eyebrows rose slightly, looking at him curiously. "It is?"

Arthur nodded.

"Today is our wedding day."

Ariadne felt tears form in her eyes, for she could already guess what was in the large box at her bedside, and she needed no one to tell her what Arthur had been feeling for in his breast pocket.

Tears came to Lucy's eyes as well, and they spilled down her cheeks as a smile came to her face. "You still want to marry me?" she whispered through her tears.

"Why would I not?"

Lucy had no answer for this, for her happy tears were too great, but Arthur dutifully wiped them away.

"I've brought your wedding dress," he explained, gesturing to the large box. "A pastor is waiting in the hall, and will come in at a moment's notice if you still want to marry _me._"

Lucy leaned forward with unexpected strength and fastened her arms around his neck, crying happily as she clung to him. "Of course, of course, oh, Arthur."

"I wanted to take you to the church," he whispered into her neck. "I tried convincing the doctors to let me take you away for the day, but they wouldn't hear of that."

"This will be lovely," she whispered back.

Ariadne waited as the nurse helped Lucy into the bathroom and listened as she was assisted with her wedding dress and veil. The IV would not be present for at least a little while after Arthur's prodding, so that they might forget about the sadness as they looked into each other's eyes during the ceremony. Arthur stood with his hands clasped nervously behind him, every thirty seconds feeling for the bump in his breast pocket, and Ariadne could not help but admire him. How many men would do what he was doing? And it was clearly not out of pity or a sense of obligation. He loved her, especially in her broken state.

Soon, Lucy emerged from the bathroom clothed in a flowing white gown of lace and other beautiful fabrics that glowed because of her radiant smile, and her veil fell behind her and over her face as the nurse held her arm to steady her as she walked to Arthur. Ariadne could not help but sob at the sight, though Arthur's face shone at the sight of her, honestly telling her that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Lucy beamed brighter than the sun.

The nurse stood her in front of Arthur, and when Arthur saw her unsteady on her feet, he quickly took her into his arms, telling her to just put her weight against him. He held her up, her head on his chest as the pastor spoke, tears forming in the old man's eyes occasionally when he looked up at the couple. Though both bore smiles, and when it came time for the wedding ring, Arthur pulled the box out of his breast pocket, presenting her with the wedding ring he had picked out months ago. To his surprise, Lucy pulled out a box of her own, saying she had kept his wedding ring in the same box as her wedding dress. Rings were put on fingers, "I do" was said from both, kisses were shared, and the room was emptied as Arthur pressed a button on a nearby music player. He held Lucy in his arms as a soft, slow French love song played, and they swayed gently to the music.

As the song ended, Lucy whispered that it was her favorite, something Arthur knew very well. He looked down at her, gently putting his hand on her cheek. "Lucy?" he asked. She looked up at him with content, peaceful eyes. It was exactly the look he had been hoping to see in her after today. "May we have a wedding picture?"

A bit of an amused smile came to her face. "Me without my hair?" she laughed a little, though she was still sad.

He shrugged, still able to smile. "We won't notice."

Minutes later, a wedding picture was taken, Lucy in his arms with her head against his chest.

Ariadne could not stop crying. She listened as they said they loved each other many times, and Arthur climbed into bed with her at the end of the day, holding her in his arms as she drifted off to sleep.

The next memory was of a funeral.

Ariadne could not keep herself from crying, wiping away her tears on the back of her sleeve as she watched Arthur place white roses on a light blue coffin as it was lowered into the ground. Many hugged him, patted his back, told him how sorry they were for his loss.

Ariadne noticed his ring was still on his left hand.

She followed him to his car after the ceremony was over, and as soon as he was alone, Ariadne watched him break down. He angrily hit the steering wheel several times and let out a yell, tears flowing from his eyes as he continued to hit it so hard that his fists turned red.

"I loved her, damn it!" he yelled furiously to no one. "I fucking loved her!" He leaned his head into his hands, supported by the steering wheel, and just cried.

Love can break the strongest of men.

"She didn't deserve this," he mumbled. "She didn't deserve this. Hell," he said, wiping his tears furiously. "Anyone except her deserved this. She didn't. It doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense." He hit the steering wheel once more so suddenly that Ariadne jumped in her seat next to him. "It must have been my fault. Somehow…somehow it must have been my fault. It had to be. There had to be something I could've done…something that could…could have prevented…this…"

Cobb and Eames had been at the funeral, looking rather saddened. Even Mal had been, but Ariadne figured this had to have taken place before she died, for she was rather sweet and gave Arthur a hug and several encouraging words. A couple of memories she had floated through before her death included Eames and Cobb interacting with Arthur as well as Lucy, and they had told Arthur repeatedly that he was a very lucky man.

The few memories after that that she witnessed, Arthur was different. He was reserved. He didn't speak much. He didn't smile as often. One of the last memories she was able to witness was of Arthur sitting on the bed in the apartment he and Lucy had shared for a little while, face expressionless as Cobb stood by the window, explaining jobs to him. Perhaps this was one reason Cobb and Arthur got along so well. They both had lost wives. They both knew how it felt.

Eames was sifting through Arthur's things, bored, and Arthur hadn't really paid attention to him, even when Eames opened two drawers of a wooden dresser. The first two drawers were clearly filled with Arthur's things, but when he reached the other two, Eames stopped when he saw things that belonged to Lucy. He stared for a moment – innocently at a few casual dresses and shirts and a nightgown and most significantly, a few pictures of her, including their wedding picture – but Arthur swore at him and hurriedly slammed the dresser shut when he caught Eames looking.

"It's been a year," Eames said a little sadly, turning around to face him.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"You can't let this consume you," Cobb stated from the corner. Ariadne found this ironic, considering where Cobb would be in the next few years.

"I loved her. Does that not mean anything to you two?" Arthur asked with a sigh. He was trying to be firm, but he was just too tired.

Eames took off Arthur's wedding ring, and before Arthur had a chance to protest, he slid it back on Arthur's opposite hand.

"You can still love her, Arthur. You just can't let her overwhelm your mind. Especially in this line of work."

The memories started to fade, and Ariadne quickly put together how from then on Arthur must have slowly progressed into the person she knew now, and whenever any flirting arose, he would quickly shut himself out because he still loved Lucy, and Ariadne did not second guess that he still thought of her as his wife. He just didn't talk about it. And he clearly handled everything better than Cobb did, because Ariadne had never seen any sort of projection or mention of Lucy before now. Lucy was contained to his heart, not his mind, just like it should be.

And as the memories started to fade, Ariadne, half awake, found herself in an odd in between state. She was in the hospital, she could see Arthur in the same position with the oxygen still in him, but his eyes were open. She spoke out to him, but she realized she was still a ghost, and she could not tell what this was until she saw Lucy enter the room.

Ariadne began to cry.

Lucy entered the room, glowing and dressed in a white dress, her hair restored and flowing over her shoulders as she sat on the side of his bed, gently stroking his cheek.

"Lucy," he breathed.

"Darling," she whispered back, smiling.

Ariadne realized how Arthur's plans had been to return to their old apartment here in Paris after this last deal with Cobb was done. For the past few hours, in his memories, she had thought that good for him. However, now…now she realized Arthur was fading, and Lucy was here in this spot in between worlds, comforting him and taking willing Arthur back with her. Ariadne understood why Eames had told her that Arthur could not love. It wasn't that he could not, it was that he would not love again, anyone else, because Lucy still quietly held his heart.

They didn't need to say anything. Lucy climbed in the bed beside him, put her arms around him, and sang the French song they danced to at their little wedding until his eyes closed.

Ariadne woke up crying.

The heart monitor showed his heart had stopped.

Despite what she wanted, she knew she had been lucky to see this of her friend, and even luckier to watch him go in peace.

* * *

Yes well, Arthur was probably OOC a lot, but who knows? Who knows how Arthur would be when in love? It's kind of a random thing for the Inception/character storyline, I guess, but I mean Inception is the only place where I can "sensibly" have someone go into someone else's dreams/memories.

Eh, well, not some of my best work (I'm my own worst critic), but I hope you enjoyed it.


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